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Please carry on all conversations without shouting, excessive ranting, or crudity. Profanity and personal attacks will not be tolerated. I am delighted to have you in my house - well, on my blog, anyway - and look forward to discussions. But please remember that we are all trying to carry on a civilized discussion. Your views are valuable. Please treat them that way. Thank you.

Mystery Publishers

Academy Chicago PublishersAn imprint of the Chicago Review Press. Features a number of interesting authors, most long out of print, plus some other odds and ends, including some horror stories by Conan Doyle.

Crippen & LandruCrippen & Landru publish mystery short story collections. Of particular interest is what they call "Lost Classics," a series of anthologies of mostly uncollected stories by authors who might be enjoyed by a new generation of readers.

Dean Street PressThis small British publisher has a great many classic crime books in its much broader catalog. They are bringing back many Golden Age classics by authors who deserve another chance at a new audience.

Felony & MayhemThis publisher specializes in classic mysteries, broadly defined, including newer mysteries that adhere to classic standards. They have just overhauled their website to make it much more informative and user-friendly.

Langtail PressA fairly new Print On Demand publisher specializing mostly in classic mysteries. The managing director, James Prichard is the great-grandson of Agatha Christie, and his lineage shows. Authors include John Dickson Carr, Ellery Queen, Anthony Berkeley, and Freeman Wills Crofts, among others. Many are also published as ebooks for the Amazon Kindle.

Locked Room InternationalA small press, specializing in very good English-language translations of (so far) mostly-French authors of locked room and impossible crime stories. They publish in Print-On-Demand and electronic editions.

Merion PressThe Merion Press is an independent publisher of out-of-print works that were originally published over 75 years ago, but are enduring even today.

MysteriousPress.comThe brainchild of editor/anthologist/author/bookstore-owner Otto Penzler, the Mysterious Press has recently returned to life and now works with Open Road Media as an electronic book publisher. It is already republishing the work of a lot of classic authors, with more books on the way.

Oconee Spirit PressA small, independent publisher committed to publishing "lively fiction, and provocative non-fiction." Most of their list covers early works by established authors writing traditional mysteries, such as Carolyn Hart and Margaret Maron.

Oleander PressThis small eclectic British publisher has begun publishing a series of classic British mystery novels, primarily from the Golden Age. The series is grouped into a section of their catalogue named "London Bound," as the books are set in London.

Ostara Publishing"Ostara Publishing re-issues titles that have unjustifiably become unavailable either through the ravages of time or the forces of publishing economics. We specialise in Crime and Thriller fiction titles and our range goes from the1920s through to the 21st century. We publish thematically and currently have six series available. All our titles are published in a 'trade paperback' format and printed to order."

Poisoned Pen PressBased in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Poisoned Pen Press publishes a fairly wide variety of mysteries. Some are reprints; many are new, by newer authors. Their website has a great deal of information about their books and authors.

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That means that if you order anything from Amazon through a link from my site or the search box on my page, I get a small commission. As a result, I'd consider it a favor if you would consider making your purchases through my links. As always, though, if you have a local mystery book store, I encourage you to use them as your first choice. For anything else... Thank you.

February 2012

February 29, 2012

OK. This has NOTHING to do with mysteries. But today's the day to wish a "happy birthday" to Frederick. He celebrated his 21st birthday in 1940, so he has officially reached his 39th birthday today. Our best wishes to Mabel as well, to be sure.

Now, to get this into mystery format, WHAT (or who) AM I TALKING ABOUT HERE?

February 28, 2012

And so do you, I presume, which is why you are visiting here. So let me point out that the latest issue of Sally Powers' bimonthly I Love a Mystery Newsletter is now available (free) online.

This issue, like the earlier ones, is packed with dozens of reviews of new and newly-released mysteries. No matter what kinds of mysteries you enjoy, you'll find reviews in the newsletter that, I hope, will lead you to discover great new reading opportunities.

And, yes, I'm one of the reviewers there. This month, you'll find a review of Patricia Moyes' Dead Men Don't Ski at greater length than the one I posted here this week. You'll also find reviews of John Curran's latest fascinating look at Agatha Christie's notebooks, called Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making, as well as a review of Christie's newly-republished Autobiography. Happy reading!

February 27, 2012

When I began this blog and podcast nearly five years ago, I was determined to keep my book discussions, for the most part, limited to classics that were still in print (or at least readily available). This has been frustrating on a number of occasions - there are authors I'd love to discuss at greater length here but can't because their books are out of print, and even second-hand copies are relatively pricey and/or rare.

So it is with considerable pleasure that I find that the Rue Morgue Press has republished the first novel by a long-time favorite of mine, Patricia Moyes. "Dead Men Don't Ski ," first published in 1959, introduced Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett and his delightful wife Emmy to the reading public. Tibbett is a hard-working police inspector who has developed a sort of "nose" for crime - his instincts occasionally put him on the right track where others have headed off in the wrong direction. "Dead Men Don't Ski" is the subject of this week's review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, which you may hear by clicking here.

"Dead Men Don't Ski" is set at a remote ski lodge in the Italian alps - a lodge so remote that there are no roads leading to it. One arrives at the lodge only by riding the longest chair-lift in Europe. Tibbett is on hand (vacationing) when a murder takes place - a man named Hauser gets on the chair lift at the top, but is found shot to death when his chair arrives at the bottom. Hauser, as Emmy observes, appears to be "the most hated man in Europe," a man involved in drug trafficking as well as blackmail and other delightful crimes. Naturally, there are a lot of potential suspects at the lodge, all of whom would have had excellent motives for murdering Hauser. But it is Tibbett, through a combination of routine police work, his "nose," and a bit of keen observation from Emmy, who ultimately solves the mystery.

Along the way, we will be introduced to a broad array of fascinating characters. One of the reasons why I so enjoy Moyes' books is her excellent characterizations. The reader often gets the impression that the characters are only stereotypes - but in just about every case, those impressions will be proven wrong.

I have chosen this 1959 novel as my entry for the decade of the 1950s in the My Reader's Block blog Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge. This new edition from the Rue Morgue Press includes an introduction to Moyes written by another mystery writer, Katherine Hall Page. She quotes a reviewer who called Moyes "the writer who put the 'who' back in the whodunit." I think that sums it up quite nicely.

For a longer review of this book, please check out my review at the new edition of the "I Love a Mystery" newsletter - thanks to Sally Powers for sharing!

February 20, 2012

An elderly woman is shot to death at Johnny Redfield's country estate. The victim is his elderly aunt, a woman who claimed to belong to an obscure "sun cult" and insisted on being called by her astral name of "Vega." What possible motive could there be for the murder? And what significance attaches to a particularly grotesque statue in the garden of the estate?

It's a classic country-home murder, but the setting isn't rural England and the author isn't Agatha Christie. The book is "Any Shape or Form," written in 1945 by Elizabeth Daly, who was one of Agatha Christie's favorite American writers. It's the subject of today's review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the full review by clicking here.

Christie's admiration for Daly is quite understandable, because Daly was one of the finest American practitioners of the classic puzzle-plot mystery. Her detective, an expert on rare books and manuscripts named Henry Gamadge, is within a few feet of "Vega" when she is shot to death. There is a house full of potential suspects, although both motive and opportunity seem difficult to establish. Daly keeps things moving along, with clues carefully palnted amidst some expert misdirection, not to mention another murder, and I suspect that most readers will find the final twists to the plot both unexpected and breathtaking in their audacity. I would advise you to pay particular attention to that statue in the garden.

Between 1940 and 1951, Daly wrote 16 mysteries featuring Henry Gamadge, who is one of my favorite American detectives. The Felony & Mayhem Press has been republishing Daly's books, with seven of them in print at the moment, and I can recommend all of them quite heartily. I am delighted to be able to offer Elizabeth Daly's "Any Shape or Form" as my entry for the 1940s in the My Reader's Block book blog Vintage Mysteries Reading Challenge.

February 16, 2012

It's nearly that time of year again - March Madness is almost upon us.

No, not that peculiar sports thing involving a batch of college teams engaged in some sport played mostly by very tall people. A fad, I'm sure.

I'm talking about the version of March Madness designed by Jen Forbus, the blogger (blogress?) responsible for the marvelous Jen's Book Thoughts blog. For two years now, Jen has celebrated the month of March with a version of March Madness especially for mystery lovers which involves competing brackets and elimination rounds, just the way that other March Madness tournament does. Through those brackets and voting by mystery readers, Jen has been able to come up with some very interesting results in her contests to find the most popular mysteries and mystery characters.

This year, she's preparing her Crime Fiction Bracket Tourney to match up Heroes and Villains. All she needs is suggestions for said heroes and villains - and that's where you come in. Between now and March 4th, Jen is inviting us to enter the names of favorite heroes and/or villains. She will compile them and set up an initial field of 16 heroes and 16 villains...and we will all then begin the rounds of voting to winnow them down.

Sound like fun? Yes, it is. So go ahead, click the links and start submitting the names of your favorites. I think she's permitting more than one entry, by the way, so let your imaginations run free. Oh, and it certainly isn't limited to the classics (though those are the names I'll be entering); Jen reads (and reviews) mostly contemporary crime novels and thrillers, so you can expect to see a lot of familiar names from today's best crime fiction. Have at it!

February 15, 2012

Malice Domestic has just announced the nominees for this year's Agatha Awards, which will be presented at the 24th Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda, MD at the end of April. The nominees:

Best Novel: The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews The Diva Haunts the House by Krista Davis Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet Three Day Town by Margaret Maron A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Best First Novel:Dire Threads by Janet Bolin Choke by Kaye George Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab Tempest in the Tea Leaves by Kari Lee Townsend

Best Non-fiction:Books, Crooks and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure by Leslie Budewitz Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making: More Stories and Secrets from Her Notebooks by John Curran On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling by Michael Dirda Wilkie Collins, Vera Caspary and the Evolution of the Casebook Novel by A. B. Emrys The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris

Best Short Story:"Disarming" by Dana Cameron, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - June 2011"Dead Eye Gravy" by Krista Davis, Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology"Palace by the Lake" by Daryl Wood Gerber, Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology"Truth and Consequences" by Barb Goffman, Mystery Times Ten"The Itinerary" by Roberta Isleib, WMA Presents the Rich and the Dead

Best Children's/Young Adult:Shelter by Harlan Coben The Black Heart Crypt by Chris Grabenstein Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey The Code Busters Club, Case #1: The Secret of the Skeleton Key by Penny Warner

Quite a distinguished collection, to be sure. The Agatha Awards honor what we may broadly call "traditional" mysteries, typified by the works of Agatha Christie. Specifically, as the Malice news release puts it, these are mysteries with no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence. Congratulations to all the nominees!

February 13, 2012

Here's an early Nero Wolfe book with some very unusual features from Wolfe's perennial battle with police:

Nero Wolfe hides a young woman in his house, to keep her from the police;

The police outrage Wolfe by searching the house with a search warrant;

And Inspector Cramer actually smokes a cigar rather than just chewing it!

It's all incidental, of course, to murder - and, in this case, to a story that has roots in a lawless Nevada mining town in 1895, a near-lynching, a promise unkept, and a disreputable character called "Rubber" Coleman. It's the story of "The Rubber Band," by Rex Stout, the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast. You can listen to the full review by clicking here.

"The Rubber Band" was only Stout's third novel about Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, and the rest of the 35th Street crowd. It's still a bit rough around the edges - Archie, in particular, has some maturing to do - but I think it's one of the better plots, overall.

The story begins with a businessman trying to hire Wolfe to investigate an apparent theft from his office. Before he can do so, however, the woman who is suspected in that theft, Clara Fox, shows up, trying to hire Wolfe to investigate (and collect) an old and potentially very valuable debt. More than 40 years earlier, her father was involved in an escapade in a Nevada mining town, where he and his friends - members of the "Rubber band," led by Rubber Coleman - freed a man about to be lynched by a mob. In return, the man - an Englishman - had promised them a share of his fortune. Now, 40 years later, that man has finally been traced. He's a wealthy English diplomat, and Clara Fox and others want their share of his wealth.

But there's much more - and, obviously, there is a murder. And, with the police now very interested in Clara Fox, Wolfe is forced to hide her in the brownstone. The scene where the police - in the form of Lieutenant Rowcliff, Archie Goodwin's nemesis - search the brownstone for Clara Fox is, by itself, worth the price of admission. The book, of course, ends with one of Nero Wolfe's distinctive office confrontations.

"The Rubber Band" is, I think, excellent in many ways. It is my entry for the 1930s in the "Deadly Decades" division of Bev Hankins' Vintage Mysteries Reading Challenge at the My Reader's Block blog. The book is available in print and also as an eBook; for Nero Wolfe fans, it is a must-read.

February 10, 2012

OK, this is WAY off topic, folks. No mystery here; if you object, then proceed to the next post. Nothing to see here. Move along.

It's just that one of my favorite comic strips from what we'll politely call my formative years has suddenly reappeared - and what a reappearance.

The strip is "Pogo," by Walt Kelly. Pogo is perhaps best known for saying, "We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo, as you should know (if you're old enough to remember) is a possum, living in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, with a whole lot of friends, like Albert Alligator, Mam'selle Hepzibah (a skunk), Churchy LaFemme (a turtle), Porkypine, Howland Owl, Deacon Mushrat (who "speaks" in Old English gothic type) and a whole lot more. It was a comic strip with attitude; Walt Kelly did political satire long before Doonesbury. His comics were pointed and yet they were also, usually, very very funny.

According to the editors' note in the recently published Pogo: The Complete Daily & Sunday Comic Strips, Vol. 1: Through the Wild Blue Wonder, Kelly wrote and drew Pogo for 24 years - six daily strips and a full-color Sunday strip each week. Fantagraphics Books plans to republish all of the Pogo strips in 12 volumes, each containing two years worth of strips. This first volume is beautifully put together, with the early strips from 1949 and 1950 (plus an earlier series drawn for the New York Star in 1948-49), There's a foreword by Jimmy Breslin and an introduction from Steve Thompson, president of the Pogo Fan Club.

The strip ended in 1975 (nearly two years after Kelly's death), so I suspect a lot of my readers simply are too young to remember Pogo. That's a pity. But you'll never see a more beautifully put-together collection of comic strips, complete with the full-color Sunday strips, than this one. I hope a new generation of Pogo readers can be created. I'm thumbing through the book and here's Pogo, having just won or maybe lost a rigged election, saying "I protests, contests and deetests every ol' thing 'bout this ee-lection." We haven't come very far, have we?

February 06, 2012

It was a meeting (a reunion, actually) that rivals, in the history of crime fiction, the first meeting between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson:

As I came out again, I cannoned into a little man who was just entering. I drew aside and apologized, when suddenly, with a loud exclamation, he clasped me in his arms and kissed me warmly.

"Mon ami Hastings" he cried. "It is indeed mon ami Hastings!"

"Poirot" I exclaimed.

And so, for the first time, Captain Arthur Hastings introduces the reader to his "old friend," Monsieur Hercule Poirot, war refugee and retired Belgian police detective. And it proves to be a good thing that he did, for without M. Poirot's intervention (and without Captain Hastings to record the results!), the poisoning of a disagreeable old woman at the country manor known as Styles might well have gone unsolved - or pinned on the wrong person. It all happens in Agatha Christie's very first mystery novel, published in 1920, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles," which is the subject of today's review on the Classic Mysteries podcast. You can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

"The Mysterious Affair at Styles" contains a great many of what would become Christie's trademarks: it is set in a country house; the victim is a particularly unpleasant family tyrant; there are a lot of people around who might well have had sufficient motive for murder; the police are headed in the wrong direction and need help from Poirot; and the mystery is solved and explained at a confrontation in a drawing room where Poirot has gathered all the suspects.

The story of the creation of Hercule Poirot is fairly well known. He sprang, more-or-less fully formed, into Agatha Christie's head, an already-elderly retired foreign police detective who came to England as a war refugee from his native Belgium. That "already-elderly" designation would come to haunt Christie, who acknowledged in her autobiography that Poirot must have been well over a hundred years old before his career finally ended.

All the same, Poirot's first case, in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles," is a delight, made all the more astonishing by the fact that the story was written by a young woman with next to no real writing experience, dared by her sister to try her hand at writing a detective story. The book is full of Christie's marvelous tricks, as she uses misdirection artfully to throw readers off the right track. The poisoning is quite brilliantly handled; Christie used her extensive knowledge of poisons (acquired as a hospital dispenser during the Great War) to provide a novel and ingenious solution to the problem of "howdunit." If the characters are less than perfectly drawn, the plot is more than sufficient to carry the book along.

After "The Mysterious Affair at Styles," Christie went on to write novels, short stories and plays, eighty books in all; I think that no other author quite embodies the heart of the Golden Age of Detection as Agatha Christie does. If you've never read the book that started it all, what are you waiting for? There are inexpensive paperbacks available (see the link above); for that matter there are inexpensive Amazon Kindle versions including one for 99 cents which also includes Christie's second novel, the Tommy-and-Tuppence thriller "The Secret Adversary," another fun read.

"The Mysterious Affair at Styles" is my entry for the 1920s in the "Deadly Decades" division of the Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge under way at Bev's My Reader's Block blog. Check there for some of the other wonderful classic mysteries being read by other bloggers - books which you might enjoy reading.

February 05, 2012

Mike Ripley's monthly "Getting Away with Murder" column really should be required reading for mystery lovers, regardless of their favorite sub-genre, and the latest one is no exception. This month's column in Shots eZine includes a couple of really nice tributes (including Ripley's own) to the late Reginald Hill, an interesting note about the last novel by Margery Allingham and a fascinating story about mystery and western writer Howard Fast. That plus some musings on American noir and some points about Nordic mysteries make for another entertaining column. Go read and enjoy!